


It was good to have been born into this world with her

by Felin_V



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cute stuff and Edeleth fluff and something more?, Edelgard deserves all happiness, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Happy birthday Edelgard, It's hard dealing with children, a child likes to make a mess for everything, but we love them anyway, post CF, side story in a way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 12:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felin_V/pseuds/Felin_V
Summary: It was 22nd of the Garland Moon in Fodlan.A normal day for some, but a special day for one.(June, 22nd 2020)AKAEdelgard's birthday.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	It was good to have been born into this world with her

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a side story for my ongoing piece, When the Little Bird Fall into Your Hands.  
> But then I couldn't find anywhere to put this in the main story, so I decided to separate it entirely. Besides, it's Edelgard's birthday so it fits perfectly.  
> Also, you don't have to read the main story to understand this one. Besides, the girl in the main story was nowhere near the state the girl in this story was. Not yet anyway.  
> The only thing you need to know for this one is:  
> \- Byleth and Edelgard rescued the little girl from TWSITD, so the girl pretty attaches to them, especially Edelgard.  
> \- The girl went through the same thing as Edelgard, hence the same white hair and Crest.  
> \- They haven't adopted the girl yet, but they are taking care of her primarily. So they are fostering her in a way.  
> \- The child doesn't have a name yet.  
> With that, I hope you enjoy my contribution to this very special day of the woman who deserves the world.

“My love. Do you have any particular tips when you taught the little one how to fish?”

As Byleth heard the sudden question, her curios cobalt eyes craned up to meet the stern lilac pair on top of the desk in Edelgard’s office. Today was just like another day. The sun outside was warm, and the wind blew lazily through the opened window of the office. A chirping sound of the bird chitchatted with one another mingled with the distant noise of the crowd who traversed about their day. It was pleasant weather during the rainy season that invited everyone alike to go out and absorb the blessing sun above. Everyone, except the Emperor, her lover, and the child under their care, it seemed. For the Emperor, there were too many documents to review, too many parchments to sign, and too many meetings to attend. Thus, it was inevitable for her to stuck within the confinement of the Enbarr palace almost all day long. But for her lover and the child, despite the opportunity to roam free, they decided to stick with the Emperor, unwilling to leave her alone on such a beautiful day. They spent time together as Edelgard buried her crowned head into the pile of documents on her desk, and Byleth devoted herself to teach the little girl to draw on the floor. And so, when Edelgard freed from her endless works for a moment, it was quite jarring for Byleth to be asked with such a strange question, especially considering that Edelgard never fond of fishing before. 

Seeing the Emperor who was leaning on the desk had a pensive expression and was pretty much serious, Byleth replied simply, “I just told her to be patient, that’s all. I think.”

Edelgard curtly inclined her head in the same way she used to do when she was a student before she continued her question, “So being patient is enough to catch a fish?”

“It also requires a decent fight with the fish, too.”

“I see…” 

As Edelgard trailed off with a chin on her palm, which was a usual gesture when she was deep in thought, Byleth turned to face her fully and stared at her with curious eyes. When the snow-white locks did not show any sign to break the silence that hanged over them anytime soon, Byleth decided to do it herself.

And so, tilting her head to the side, Byleth asked calmly, “Why do you ask?”

The question might have brought the Emperor back from her trail of thought as she was startled a tad bit before recollecting herself within a mere second. “Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just…curious.”

Byleth nodded as an acknowledgment before she turned back to the girl beside her, who was using a blue crayon to doodle something on the paper. Byleth glanced back to Edelgard once in a while and noticed that the Emperor seemed to be lost in thought more often than she was usually. Before Byleth could know what was occupying the Emperor’s mind, Edelgard excused herself to attend the meeting, leaving Byleth and the little girl alone in the office. Although Byleth was a bit regretful for missing the chance to ask her lover, she let it passed because this was the time Byleth had been waiting for. 

“Hey, kid. Do you know it’s almost El’s birthday?”

Looking up from her drawing, the little girl tilted her head while her big amethyst eyes filled with nothingness as if the concept of the birthday was foreign to her. It might be the first time she heard the word even. Assuming that, Byleth tried to explain with a calm, soothing voice, “A birthday is a day that a person was born. Every year, when the circle of the year and their life rotated to meet that day once again, that person would be considered as being older for a year. So we celebrate that person’s birth, growth, and life.” 

The flicker of a twinkle in the amethyst eyes flashed up briefly, indicating that the quiet girl was getting more curious. And so, Byleth continued with a subtle smile, “When we celebrate, mostly we will surprise that person with a big cake, decorated with various sweets and candles that equal to that person’s age. And sometimes, we will celebrate with a party, a nice tea time, or a specific ceremony of that country. It is a special day that we celebrate for a special someone we care about, especially a family member.”

Seeing the growing gleam in Elos’s eyes who nodded enthusiastically, Byleth’s smile grew wider with affection. It was a familiar sight that mirrored herself when she first learned about the real tradition of birthday. In the past, when she still roamed through the continent with her dad, the birthday was an unfamiliar, inaccessible celebration for her. Growing up as a mercenary, they never had the luxury to celebrate anyone’s birthday. And so more often than not, they only blessed the birthday person with kind words, gratitude, and wishes. Besides, considering her father, Jeralt, who never seemed to care about a birthday, both his and her, a birthday was just like any other regular day for her. So she was not really aware of her own birthday even. However, It was not until she was in Garreg Mach, where she learned how important a birthday really was. There, she realized her students would be so thrilled from just getting a bouquet of flowers on their birthdays, even more so when she offered them to have a little tea time. It took her quite sometimes in the library to understand what the tradition of a birthday was. And now that she realized how special it was with her lover’s birthday coming up soon, she wanted to do something special for her. 

And so, with a confident, excited smile and a gleaming cobalt eyes, Byleth announced, “Let’s bake her a cake, kid.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After involving the little girl into her plan to surprise Edelgard, Byleth, striding hand in hand with the child, wandered around the Enbarr palace to find someone who could help them achieved their goal. Someone who was a master baker. Someone who would willingly teach them how to bake. As the messy pair of navy blue and snow-white locks drifted past the greenhouse, they found whom they were looking for. And it was none other than Mercedes, the kind and motherly healer who loved baking and cooking alike. It took only a few moments for Byleth to explain her plan and asked Mercedes to help them bake the cake since Byleth had little experience with it. Not to mention that the little girl had no experience going into the kitchen at all. Fortunately, Mercedes agreed to help them with a warm smile on her face. And so, together, the three of them made their way to the kitchen in the palace. As it was suggested by the master baker herself, they would check the ingredients they had in the kitchen before deciding on the actual cake and buying more ingredients if needed.

Upon arriving at the grand kitchen, Byleth and Mercedes swiftly got to their task while the little one was exploring around the area with curious eyes. A moment passed before Byleth heard a familiar squeak cried out not far from them. Whipping her head toward the sound, Byleth was greeted by the shocking violet locks who was hiding under the counter and seemingly being discovered by the snow-white locks. 

“What are you doing, Bernie?” Beside her, Byleth heard Mercedes calmly asked the trembling woman with a soft, gentle voice tint with curiosity while the little girl was patting on the violet locks lightly. 

After slowly coming down from her unexpected shock, Bernadetta gradually got out of the counter she hid and confessed with a guilty voice. “Um. I was hungry, so I came here to find some snacks to eat. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t do this without asking first.”

For a long moment, Byleth and Mercedes tried to comfort the timid woman and reassured her that it was more than alright to get something to eat in here, considering that Byleth did it too. Several times. And of course, after Bernadetta was back to the confident self, she asked Byleth and Mercedes what they were doing. And so, Byleth told her about the plan to surprise Edelgard with a cake. Surprisingly, Bernadetta offered her aid without hesitation, saying that she could help them decorate the cake. Thus, as a party of three plus one, they came up with a plan on their cake later that day and listed all the ingredients they would need. It took them about two days to come up with a design for the cake and gather all the extra ingredients. And on the third day, it was finally a time to bake the actual cake. 

On the first day, with Mercedes’s guidance, Byleth, admittedly, thought that baking should be quite fun and easy at first, cracking the eggs, preparing the ingredients, mixing them together, boiling the chocolate, and molding them into the desired shape. But she was wrong. The measurement took more time than she liked, annoying her slightly. When she cooked, Byleth usually just threw in whatever spice or ingredient she felt like the food lacked. And it always turned out well in the end. But according to Mercedes and Bernadetta, baking required a certain amount of ingredients in them, so it was crucial to measure them before mixing them. When Byleth finally finished measurement and was about to mix each ingredient together, she noticed the curious amethyst eyes directed at the bowl she was holding. And so, as Byleth thought that mixing things might be easy enough for the girl to do, she let her do it. But oh Sothis, how could she be wrong again. The girl poured in the first few ingredients without a hiccup, but as she got her hand on the bag of flour and noticed the white powder coming off them when she poured it into the bowl, she accidentally, or rather excitedly, spilled the flour all over the place. After their bodies covered in white powder, they let her did it again, this time, with extra attention on the flour in the small hands. With all the ingredients in the bowl, it was time to mix them with a whisk. It took quite considerable time before all ingredients mixed well together. And somehow, in the middle of it all, the little girl might have lost her patient. And so, before Byleth could comprehend the situation, the small kid activated her Crest and destroyed the desk and the bowl in the process. 

In the end, the first day was a disaster, leaving them with white clothing full of flour. Giving that there was only a small window for Byleth and the girl to separate themselves from the Emperor, they decided to try it again a few days after this. Thus, Byleth and the girl had to sneak back into their bed-chamber to take a quick bath before the Emperor saw their poor, suspicious state. Fortunately, they made it there without incident because Edelgard seemed to be busy herself, running around from place to place all day. Even when they were together, the Emperor appeared to be occupied by her thoughts most of the time. Another strange thing Byleth noticed was that Edelgard asked her to take care of the little one more when usually, the Emperor would always be so thrilled to spend every little time she had with the girl. But that made it easier for Byleth to advance her plan in secret, so she would not complain. 

On the second attempt, a few days later, they began to get a hold of the delicate task. As their first cake was finally in the oven, Mercedes started teaching them to do the frosting. This one was a lot easier than the cake itself, Byleth noted, and more delicious. Because the chocolate they boiled looked very appealing, Byleth could not resist to dip her finger in and taste the bitter-sweetness with a content expression. Feeling a light tug on her sleeve, Byleth gazed down to see amethyst eyes blinked at her with anticipation. And so, Byleth dipped another finger into the warm chocolate and let the girl tasted the sticky dark brown substance. As soon as the small lip engulfed the tip of her finger, the amethyst eyes turned into a clear crystal that reflected several stars in them. Seeing that the little one seemed to like chocolate as much as she did, it urged Byleth to offer the sweet more. And so she did. For a while, Byleth occasionally dipped her figure into the dark sweet while the girl regularly dived her small hand, tasting the bitter-sweet favor they loved with a sparkle in their eyes. Eventually, a sound of a dire, breathless laugh from Mercedes reached Byleth’s ears as she halted her finger in the air. 

“Professor, little one. If both of you keep stealing the ingredient like that, you won’t finish the cake, and you know that, right?”

After a light scold delivered by the pretty-much-angry Mercedes, Byleth knelt in front of the little girl with a noticeable frown. And with a heavy heart, Byleth told her, “Kid. I know how tasty the chocolate is, but we have to save it for El, okay? No more eating, so we can eat it together with El, alright?”

Byleth was not sure if the girl understood it or not, but she saw the amethyst eyes lost its light as the girl gave her a small nod with a tight lip. And after that, they finally finished assembling the cake they made. Although it tasted...weird, they made quite impressive progress for today. And so, it drove confidence and excitement from Byleth further. 

Finally, on the third and the last day before Edelgard’s birthday, they succeed. Even though there was a little hiccup here and there when they decorated it, the cake was ready to be presented to her lover. With plenty of time left, Byleth decided to prepare for a little tea time to accompany the cake on tomorrow’s surprise, just like what Edelgard and her always did during the Academy’s days. Lastly, Byleth made sure to ask Hubert about the Emperor’s schedule to find the right time for the surprise. 

Eventually, the 22nd of the Garland Moon arrived. The morning came with a warm light dripped through the window in their bed-chamber, waking up Byleth in the process. It seemed that the Emperor might have some early works to deal with as Byleth could see nothing but the empty mattress beside her on the bed. Byleth thought it was quite strange for Edelgard to process on her day without giving her a morning kiss, although the matters might just be so urgent that Edelgard simply did not have time to laze around as she liked. Regardless, Byleth seized this opportunity to prepare their living room in their bed-chamber for the surprise this evening. 

The morning blue sky soon turned into the bright, vibrant orange canvas with a tint of red and purple. Byleth watched the enormous orange orb gradually dipped into the horizon with anticipated eyes as she sat beside the little girl who was painting a white paper with her crayon. Before long, Byleth heard a faint click on the door behind them. Swiftly, Byleth carried the girl to the table in the middle of the room before she grabbed the cake on the table and lighted its candles with her magic. The second the door opened with snow-white locks and crimson regalia appeared in her sight, Byleth, with one hand holding the cake and another holding the small one, opened her lip and let go of the soft voice filled with adoration and merriness to reach the new arrival’s ears.

“Happy Birthday, El.”

It was quite a lovely sight to bear as Byleth saw Edelgard’s pale face shifted from neutral to surprised within a mere second. A long moment was passed by with no more response from the wide lilac eyes. Even when the candles started to melt and its wax dripped onto the cake below as Byleth’s smile started to stain with worry, Edelgard still did not move. As if sensing something from the shocked Emperor, the little girl let go of Byleth’s hand and threw her small arms around Edelgard’s waist, bringing her back to the world with a slight jolt. When she felt the warmth from the impassive, innocent amethyst eyes that blinked up at her, Edelgard automatically put up her hand to pat gently on the snow-white locks and looked back and forth between her lover and the girl with confused lilac eyes.

“A-ah. Right. My love...what’s...this?”

Byleth’s face lightened up a bit when she saw her lover backed to her sense. So, she approached Edelgard slowly as she lifted the cake in front of her and reminded her again with a warm smile. 

“It’s a birthday cake. For you.”

As if she still could not believe what was unraveled before her, the lilac eyes fluttered several times before she could take in the cake in front of her. The cake was not really spectacular as other cakes made by the palace’s baker she had seen. The frosty was not as smooth as it supposed to, and the decoration seemed simple enough for anyone to make. On top of the cake, however, was the part that Edelgard seemed to be interested the most. On there, there were some scribbles that undoubtedly had two different handwriting. The first part was written with a squiggly, almost indecipherable handwriting as if someone who did not know how to write wrote it. If she did not know this was a birthday cake, she might have read this part as BaDDy instead of Happy. In contrast, the latter part was written beautifully with care as if it was written by someone who, at least, knew how to write although it was not fancy handwriting of a noble for sure.

And together, it read Happy Birthday, El.

“Come on. Make a wish.”

As if Byleth’s voice brought Edelgard back from the long silent stare she stuck herself into, Edelgard startled a tad bit before she closed her eyes. A beat passed before Edelgard blew out the candles and revealed her lilac eyes that filled with appreciation and fondness to the authentic cobalt eyes. 

“Thank you, my love. I wasn’t sure how to respond after seeing you and the little one with this beautiful cake in hands like this.”

Upon hearing that, Byleth could not help but let out a grin tint with triumph. Her plan was a great success, it seemed. “It’s alright. It meant to be a surprise. And you know? Kid and I baked this cake ourselves.”

Byleth’s grin grew wider as she saw the unbelievable face on Edelgard. She usually cooked for her lover from time to time, but she never baked for her before. Admittedly, Byleth was quite proud to successfully surprise Edelgard like this. When the lilac eyes lost its shock and replaced with something resembled bashfulness, Edelgard redirected her attention from Byleth to something behind her. 

While Byleth was placing the cake on the table, she heard Edelgard reluctantly spoke up, “Actually...there was another reason why I was really surprised...”

Turning back to Edelgard, Byleth saw her lover holding out a painting toward her while the lilac eyes refused to meet the cobalt one, and a tint of crimson spread across the pale face. Looking down at the object in Edelgard’s hands, it was a painting of a person with a messy navy blue hair that resembled her own and a smaller figure with a snow-white hair. They were playing together hand in hand beside the calm pond and among the colorful flowers with a bright smile on their faces. Under the peaceful blue sky above, it was like these two were having the happiest time of their life. 

“What’s this?” Byleth blurted out with a curious tone as she reached out her hands to delicately place them on the painting.

Edelgard let out a sigh to recompose herself before the lilac eyes filled with firmness and passion decided to meet the cobalt one directly. “I painted this myself. For you, my love.”

“But why? Today is your birthday and not mine, El.” Byleth could not help but asked while she tilted her head slightly to the side.

Edelgard paused as if she was trying to form words in her mind before opening her lip again and sang her gentle, affectionate tone for Byleth. “Because it’s my birthday, my love. I...wanted to give you something. As a thank-you gift for being with me, for choosing me, and for supporting me as an equal for all these years. Without you, I wouldn’t be here to celebrate another year of my life. So...thank you, my light.” 

The second that Edelgard’s melody sank into Byleth’s mind, the surprised cobalt eyes grew wider at the woman in front of her, feeling like her old friend Sothis might have teased her by giving her such a wondrous retaliation so soon. While her mind inwardly thanked Sothis for bringing this woman to her, Byleth deliberately retrieved the painting from the crimson gloved hands.

After looking down at the mesmerizing painting for a moment, Byleth finally whispered into the air with a wide smile that forced her eyes to squeeze lightly. “Thank you, El. This is...beautiful.” 

It took Byleth a long moment until she realized the tight grip on her lower waist. When she gazed down, she saw the little one standing on her tiptoe, trying to peer at the painting with curious eyes. The adorable sight urged Byleth to let out a light chuckle before she knelt down to give the little one what she wanted. 

As the cobalt eyes followed the girl took off with the painting in her small hands, Edelgard spoke up again with a tone full of mild agitation and utter disappointment, “I was actually going to catch the first fish I caught myself and cooked it for you, but...unfortunately, it proved to an impossible task for me.”

Turning to intertwine her hands with the crimson gloved one without standing up, Byleth sent the most charming smile and dazzling eyes to the woman standing above her. “It’s alright, El. I would rather see you catch the first fish with my own eyes.”

The gleam in the cobalt eyes brightened up as they witnessed the pink shade crept across the pale skin. A beat later, Byleth’s entertainment was interrupted by the light tug at her free hand. And so, Byleth pried herself from the radiant face to see the little one showing the piece to her. The second that she saw it, Byleth’s eyes turned wider with shock and terror. But then the terrific eyes were replaced by realization, followed by endearment.

With the painting in hands, Byleth stood up as she said with soft eyes, “El. It looks like you did not finish the painting after all.”

Edelgard tilted her head in confusion as Byleth turned to show her the piece. As expected, the same shocked, terrified reaction Byleth just did a second ago replaced the shade of crimson on her lover's face in an instant. But then, when the realization struck on the wide lilac eyes, Edelgard froze and stared at the painting as if she was too shocked to react once again. On the piece, everything stayed the same, but one thing was added. It was a red scribble that resembled a drawing of a person, standing, or rather floating, near where Byleth was in the picture. 

“This painting would be incomplete without you, El.”

After Byleth’s soft, sweet voice evaporated into the air, Edelgard slowly inclined her gaze to the stoic girl beside Byleth with a flickering light in the pale lilac eyes. And then, Edelgard fell on her knees so that her lilac eyes could be on the same level as the amethyst one before she asked softly with incredulity.

“That red thing was me? Did you...draw me in there?”

It was only a beat passed before the little girl slightly inclined her head. There was a brief silence fell over the kneeling woman before, suddenly, Edelgard let out a bright, hearty chuckle as her face beamed up with authentic joyfulness. Such a genuine, relaxing voice of her lover urged a warmth surging through Byleth and a bright sparkle dancing in the amethyst eyes. In between the lovely chuckle she blurted out, Edelgard called out for the little girl as she opened her arms widely.

“Come here, my dear. That was the best drawing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. You deserve a gift for your hard work.” 

As the light flashed brightly in the amethyst eyes, the girl clashed herself into Edelgard as the older woman enclosed her arms into a tight hug and resumed her chuckle. They held onto the embrace for a long while before Edelgard decided to shower the girl with an endless rain of light, sweet pecks all over her small face. The storm of kisses went on only for a beat before the usual stoic girl let loose her tiny, pure giggles that grew louder the more she soaked in those precious pecks. Edelgard could not stop the urge to shower this girl with her adoration until the smaller frame started to squirm happily within her arms. It was then that Edelgard shifted to brush her forehead and nose lovingly against those smaller parts of the little girl who was still giggling brightly as Edelgard whispered softly with closed eyes. 

“Thank you, my dear.” 

For a long while, Edelgard absorbed herself with the warmth of the tiny hands on her face and the heavenly sound of the small chuckles. All the while, Byleth quietly looked at them with a pleasant heat inside her chest that seemed to be too much for her heart to handle. As the tiny giggling sound started to fade into the air, Edelgard opened her eyes with a different kind of light in them. 

“Now. Anyone wants some cake?”

Byleth fondly smiled when Edelgard let out a bright chuckle once again upon seeing the amethyst eyes lighted up the instant she said the magic word. As Edelgard let the girl enthusiastically ran to the cake on the table and was about to follow suit, Byleth gently grabbed her forearm and spun Edelgard back into her arms. The second that Edelgard was within her warm embrace, Byleth lovingly and gently collided her warm lip with Edelgard’s soft one. It took only a brief moment before Edelgard regained herself from the unexpected kiss and returned it with the kiss of her own. All the while, Edelgard rose her arms to wrap around Byleth’s neck while Byleth held her close by tugging lightly at her waist. And neither of them desired to let the other go for a long while. Eventually, it was Byleth who reluctantly broke their tender kiss although she moved away only to be sure that they were not too far apart than inches. As the lilac and cobalt eyes silently conversed with one another, Byleth’s thin lip let out sweet words as if the silent conversation was not enough to express her feeling. 

“I love you, my heart. Thank you for being born into this world.”

As if those words stirred up something inside her lover, Byleth saw those lilac eyes thoroughly flickering as Edelgard was at a loss for words. The soft lilac and genuine cobalt pair shared a look as long as they could muster, fearing that blinking could drift away this enchanted moment. It was not until Byleth saw a light trail of tear dropped from the lilac eyes that Edelgard moved her lip closer to hers with an expression full of love, passion, and gratefulness.

“I love you, too, my light. Thank you for being beside me.”

“And I will be here beside you until the very last beat of my heart.”

They shared a kiss again, this time, with a sweeter, more passionate one. When Edelgard shifted her hands to cup Byleth’s face and deepened the kiss, suddenly, Byleth noticed an odd squish came from the table. As she opened her eyes, she immediately and abruptly broke the kiss, as much as a chagrin for Edelgard. 

“Ah, stop! Kid! Don’t play with it like that!”

When Byleth’s urgent shout reached the small ears, the little one simply gazed her blank eyes toward Byleth, who was approaching the table, and Edelgard, who still could not comprehend the situation yet. It seemed that this little one had been using her hand to dig into the cake and play with it as if it was dough. As soon as she got to the cake, Byleth gently pried the small hand full of cream out of the mouth that it stuck into. All the while, she poured various apologizing for her lover behind her. 

“I’m sorry, El. I didn’t think she would play with the cake like that. I’ll make you a new one.”

But there was no response. The only sound Byleth could hear was a steady step approaching the table from behind her. As Byleth tried to make the little troublemaker stay still, she saw Edelgard looked at the used-to-be her birthday cake with an expression Byleth could not read. All the while, Edelgard slowly took off her crimson glove and placed them neatly on the table. When Byleth was about to open her lip to apologize again, suddenly, a hand full of cream and cake slapped at her cheek, sending a splash sound rang throughout the main hall of their bed-chamber. A silence hanged over them as the remnant of the birthday cake on Byleth’s cheek dripped onto the table with a dull squish. Shortly after, Edelgard let out a brief snort before flashing the dumbfounded Byleth with a teasing smirk.

_An invitation for a battle, I see._

When Byleth interpreted the not-so-hidden message, a smirk appeared on her face. Without hesitation, she grabbed a handful of ruined cake and threw it on Edelgard’s chest, prompting a bright yelp out of her. After that, the room was filled with nothing but wholehearted laughter, wide smile, loud patter, and chaotic cake flying around. It was a wonder for every servant and guard who passed their bed-chamber to hear such an outburst of sound came from their Emperor’s and her lover’s bedroom. And somehow, it was almost a miracle that no one stepped inside to see how messy and unpresentable the Emperor and the General were. Not to mention the little girl who was smudged by the cake for more than half of her body already. 

Eventually, the two adults collapsed on the floor beside each other after using all of their energy to laugh and run around as if they were a child who was not aware that they were not a child anymore. While the little girl still ran from here and there, playing with the remnant of cream and cake on the floor and herself, Byleth and Edelgard could only release a breathless laugh as they were gasping for air with a heaving chest. As Byleth watched the little girl played by herself, she glanced at her lover beside her, who also watched the child with a gleam in her lilac eyes. A moment later, however, she saw Edelgard licked her lip and tasted the remains of the cake on it. 

“Ah. This is more delicious than I expected. Now I regret playing with the cake instead of eating it like we supposed to.”

The sight of Edelgard commented nonchalantly in between a bright chuckle with a comfortable, peaceful face urged something inside Byleth. Without thinking, Byleth found herself drifted closer to her until she could smell a sweet scent from the beautiful face of her lover. As she gave in to the urge inside her chest, Byleth let out her warm tongue to touch the soft skin gently and scoop in the cream that stuck on Edelgard’s pink lip, leaving the other woman to freeze in place with a wave of crimson engulfed her face and ears. 

“It’s alright. I’ll make you another one as much as you want.” 

Byleth’s whisper in the red ears did nothing but amplify the shade of crimson deeper. And it certainly helped to soothe nothing as Byleth started trailing her warm tongue along the crimson earlobe, down to the delicate jaw, and up to the soft cheek. As if realizing that Byleth would not stop, Edelgard quickly grabbed her broad shoulder to stop as she let out a shaking, warning voice without making eye contact.

“My light, stop. The girl will see us.”

Resuming her task on the crimson cheek, Byleth whispered back softly, “She won’t. She’s playing right now.”

As Byleth made her way to the small exposed neck, she felt Edelgard jolted a tad bit under her touch, prompting her to continue. However, as much to her chagrin, Byleth was stopped by a soft hand gently pushed on her face. When Byleth was about to protest, Edelgard interrupted her with a shuddered breath.

“Not here, my light.”

With that, a smirk appeared on Byleth’s face as the fire of hungriness was ignited in her bright cobalt eyes. She gave a soft hand a warm, lovely kiss before she reluctantly pried herself from Edelgard, determining to call for Hubert or anyone here in an instant. Perhaps someone in the Strike Force could look after the girl for a little while before her bedtime so that both of them could have private time on this special day.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDELGARD VON HRESVELG


End file.
